Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this:'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these.
Mark 12:30-31

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12 August 2013

One Year Ago Today

I know exactly where I
was on this day last year. My family and I were in the car driving to Indiana
praying that we made it in time. We arrived around 5pm. At 11:30pm my father-in-law
was called to be with Jesus.

We mourned.

We grieved.

We are still grieving.

My father-in-law is
greatly missed. Jesus brought my father-in-law into our life’s about eight
years ago. My children and I met him in 2008 for the first time. Looking at him
for the first time, I felt like I was looking at my husband. Mirror images. Due
to distance and the military we did not have the opportunity to visit as much
as we like, but God brought us closer to him before he was called home.

My children speak of him
quite often. His guitar sits in my son’s room. A reminder of his love for music.

His Bible sits in my
daughter’s room. A reminder of his love for Jesus.

The picture of three
hands representing three generations sits in a frame in the living room. A
reminder of our last time with him on this earth.

Our heart hurts. We are
still grieving. His death was the beginning to more deaths that we would face
later that year and earlier this year. Six months of deaths we faced. Years of
healing we will face. Each day is a little more of healing but each year at
this time will bring back a little pain.

Remembering last year
brings back the memories and the pain, but we are choosing to remember his singing,
his laughter, and his love. Remembering the time we did have with him

“Why
am I discouraged? Why is my heart so sad? I will put my hope in God! I will
praise him again- my Savior and my God!” Psalm 42:11

646. Hearing “Old
Rugged Cross” at church and tears pouring down our cheeks because God plays his
song for us

647. An organized schoolroom

648. Dinner with
friends who are moving tomorrow

649. Conviction

650. Fellowship on the
softball field

651. God showing us He
is with us through this time

652. God embracing us
as we face a new season in our life

653. Cooler weather

654. The ending of
another set of classes

655. 16 and one-half
months left of my school

The
next six months may be reminders of the struggles we faced last year but it
really is a reminder of His Love and strength….